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Record

AAW - Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
- DOW - Diocese of Westminster
  - PAR - Parishes

Repository	Archives of the Archbishop of Westminster
Ref No	AAW/DOW/PAR/116
Title	Kingsbury Green, St Sebastian and St Pancras
Level	Series
Description	In April 1924, the Diocese of Westminster bought some land in Kingsbury on which to build a church and Presbytery. The property included a small gardener's cottage belonging to Haydon House and it was next to the cottage that a small church was built in 1925. Both were placed under the charge of the Scoutmaster of Westmintser Cathedral Scouts, Mr M G Dunlop, who later became parish priest of St Anthony's Radlett. The first Mass was said there privately by Mgr Joseph Collins, Chaplain to the Cardinal's own Scouts, on 27 December 1925, while the first public mass was said by Rev Marcel Leroux, CS, in February 1926. Mr Dunlop arranged for a priest to come at weekends, usually from La Sagesse Convent, Golders Green. At the end of 1929, Mr Dunlop resigned and Kingsbury Green was placed under the care of Rev P Howell, Rector of Edgeware. It was served on Sundays by Rev John Bagshawe and later by Rev Lionel Dove. In September 1930, Cardinal Bourne appointed Rev G Lionel Smith, then assistant priest at Holy Rood, Watford, as the first resident priest. It was still very much a rural area with a small population, and Mass attendance at this time was around 150. In April 1930, the church was enlarged to twice its original size seating 132 people (it subsequently became the Lady Chapel). It was at this time that the parish was formally established under the title of St Sebastian and St Pancras. In October 1930, 2 additional rooms were added to the cottage for use as a Presbytery. As the population of the parish rapidly increased over the next 5 years, a temporary sacristy was built to free up more space to seat the congregation. In October 1935, the church purchased Haydon Bungalow, now the site of the church car park. This was the venue for various social and parish activities. In July 1938, work began on building a new Nave and Sanctuary to accommodate the ever growing numbers in the congregation. The architect was T H B Scott, while two bas relief scultures of St Sebastian and St Pancras were sculpted by Eric Gill. Nine panels round the Sanctuary depicting the Resurrection were painted by Dom Theodore Bailey, OSB, as well as a crucifix (later replaced in 1949). Aisles were added in 1959 from designs by T. G. B. Scott, to increase the seating capacity to 500; at the same time a Sacred Heart chapel was formed with a sculpted figure by Michael Clark ARBS and stained glass window by Theodora Kern. Additional sacristy accommodation and a parish room were also provided. Major underpinning took place in the 1990s (builders R. E. Lay of Dunstable).

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Album amicorum of George Strachan

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